A Million Lights and Voices
by Inuzuka-93
Summary: Chris left Piers at the bottom of the sea but good things always resurface, don't they? A new threat sees Captain Redfield reuniting with some old friends and learning to put the mission aside, for once. It's not often we get a second chance to say 'I love you' but in a world at war is all really fair? Chris/Piers. 'Nivanfield'. Quite a bit of plot... Work in Progress.


A Million Lights and Voices

Chapter 1: Partners Past

Chris Redfield

"C'mon," I muttered, becoming more and more frustrated with each increasing centimetre of water steadily creeping up the sides of my boots "got it!"

The escape pod doors slid open and my heart regained its regular rhythm – we were making it out of this. Three heavy footfalls sent water splashing in every direction as I made to pull Piers to his feet, his eyes never leaving the B.S.A.A. emblem on his uninfected left arm as I guided him to the opening of the pod.

"Nearly there, Piers," I said, reassuring him, "we're gonna get out of this."

I had one foot on the lip of the escape pod when Piers pulled his body away from me, without a word and I turned to fully see the extent of the damage the c-virus had done to my partner. Bathed in the white-light of the pod behind me, I could see that his right arm was swollen to monstrous proportions and seemed to spark in odd spasms and I wondered if it was mimicking the unsteady beat of his heart. The right shoulder of his uniform was completely gone and I could see, for the first time that the infection had stretched over his neck and the entire right side of his face; the eye beneath the infection was a milky-white shade of blind and the skin had turned pink and blotchy and yellow pustules littered his previously flawless complexion.

Piers stood regarding me with heavy but weakening breaths filling his lungs. I could see the humanity in his left eye, the bratty younger brother figure I'd grown to care for stared at me from that eye. Step. Step. He was inches from me, I could smell the sweat that leaked down the sides of his short hair as he fought with his body that wanted to convulse against the virus flooding his veins.

"Cap..." he struggled with the word, turning his head away from me to cough. "Chris I..."

I pulled our foreheads together and stared down all my strength into the humanity left in his good eye. "Don't quit on me, Piers, we're getting out of here. You have to fight it."

"I can't," blood and tears leaked down his boyish face, his eyes never leaving mine.

The words hit me hard in the chest and I felt a lump rise in my throat but I had no time to say anything as I was falling backwards through the door with more force than was probably necessary. Still drained from our fight with HAOS, I struggled to regain my posture but when I finally did, it was just in time to watch the doors seal before me.

"PIERS!" I yelled, banging on the window, not knowing if he could even hear my pleas. "Don't do this; we can make it out of here. Both of us! PIERS! Open the Goddamn door, that's an order!" He just stood there and looked at me not just as a soldier in my team; not just as a partner or even an equal but as a friend. I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch in a smile; a goodbye he no longer had the breath to utter as he staggered to the wall and pushed the escape pod release and stood by the window while I continued to hammer the glass.

I felt tears hot against my cheeks as I continued to pound away at the door. I couldn't _leave_ him here to die when there would be a cure. If only he would just hold on...His lips were moving in the other side of the door and I had to lean in close to make out the words he must have been whispering.

"...tain, I love you."

I lost control again and resumed my battering of the door. The light around the its seal changed from white to green. "NO!"

The escape pod had been launched and I was being propelled backwards and upwards into the sea. My hand fell limp against the glass as I recollected my partner's last words. He had loved me. He had shown it time and time again from the very beginning but to hear the words and to leave him to die like this was too much to bear. I could still see his deformed body watching me as I sailed away to salvation and I wonder if he was scared.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" I yelled to myself, helplessly as the presumed dead HAOS beast burst through the facility's wall and latched onto the bottom of the escape pod. Iwas going to die and the only thing I could think of was Piers's goodbye. The bolt of lightning-voltage electricity that erupted through the water tore the B.O.W. to pieces and sent me safe to the surface. The pod opened and I breathed in fresh air for what felt like the first time. I could see the bird in the distance ready for my retrieval and I finally noticed Piers's true last words, crushed in my hand: the blood and god-knows-what stained B.S.A.A. badge from my partner's uniform.

The funeral we held for Piers was a small one. It turned out he didn't have much of a life outside of the B.S.A.A. and so didn't have many close friends to send him off. It's probably the reason the kid got through to me so much, I saw myself in him; he was me, only braver. I gave a small speech, nothing fancy but every word was heart-felt and true, Piers had been a brother, an inspiration and even a hero and his sacrifice would not be forgotten. His name was added to the North American Branch HQ cenotaph though I was surprised that there was any space left at this stage and there was even talk of erecting a special memorial dedicated to Piers's heroism. I imagined the cheeky remarks Piers would have to say if he were around to hear that – I'd never hear the end of it.

I received an award for our accomplishments and Piers was granted the highest honour posthumously. I didn't keep mine – I didn't feel like I had accomplished anything but I did, however, make sure Piers's was well looked after for if anyone deserved to be honoured it was him. As soon as the funeral was over, I launched myself straight back into work.

**8 Months Later**

The situation in China was still critical in wake of the c-virus but a new threat had already reached the Black Market. A small threat, it was, but a threat nonetheless and it required special investigation. I was offered my former title of Special Operations Agent which I declined initially, wanting only to continue my work with alpha team in honour of my fallen comrade but after some consideration I had to accept the job. Piers had given his life for the greater good of the world so anything I could do to carry on that legacy I had to do it. I agreed to investigate but maintained that I would return to my team upon my mission's completion.

Nathan Hawke was appointed acting captain of alpha team in my absence and my men were deployed to China to assist in the c-virus clean up whilst I was loaded into a jet and sent to the UK. S.O.A.s operate in two-man cells as a general rule but I hadn't been briefed so I was surprised but in no way disappointed to find a familiar face when I landed in London.

"Hello Chris," Sheva Alomar said with a smile as we embraced. "Glad you had a safe journey."

"Thanks Sheva," I replied as I fell into step with her. "I didn't expect to find you here. Have you been briefed already?"

We were walking through the familiar corridors of the UK headquarters – it was strange that they were so familiar as I had only ever set foot within its grounds on two occasions before, the first was when it had first been established and the second had been for the inauguration of the new director, Ethan Pryce.

"I arrived just over a week ago," she confirmed, "but they thought it best to give you time...I'm sorry about your Teammate, Chris."

"Thanks," I replied genuinely, "but he was more than a teammate, he was a friend."

"Of course," Sheva bowed her head slightly in understanding; she was no stranger to loss. "Shall I show you to the war room?"

"Lead the way." I allowed Sheva to walk a few paces ahead of me. "I'm guessing the situation in Africa is pretty dire if they've flown their best operative half way around the world."

"On the contrary," Sheva replied, not looking back, "Africa is quieter than it's ever been. So naturally something major is about to happen, it's a global hotspot for bioterrorist activity."

"That can't be the only reason they sent you," I mused aloud causing my former partner to stop momentarily, sigh then continue walking, only this time with more purpose in her heavy steps.

"An African guerrilla is suspected to be involved in the case. A man by the name of Abrafo Kangwena. He is the reason I am here." I stopped walking, waiting for a better explanation. When she had realised I had stopped, Sheva turned to regard me. But there was a look in her eye that told me that nothing I would say would be able to talk her out of this mission. "This man is dangerous, Chris. And if his involvement is as great as we fear it may be, my home is in jeopardy."

"It sounds like it's more personal than that," I suggested, tightening my stance.

"And if it is?" Sheva replied sternly, her hands finding the crevices of her hips. "I'm not going to sit by and watch..."

"What did he do to you, Sheva?" I watched her shoulders fall forward as I forced her to recall painful memories. I wanted her to know she had my support and if Sheva was to be my partner, I was not prepared to let unimportant things go unsaid – I'd made that mistake already...

"We should really get you to the briefing," Sheva finally broke the silence. "We'll talk after, I promise."

We made the rest of the short journey in silence and Sheva walked me into the dark room to find Pryce and Jill Valentine in deep conversation, their heads bowed over a computer screen, their words were low, disgruntled whispers.

"Jill?" I heard my voice before I had even processed the thought. Another partner of mine and my mind flashed back to that underwater facility; to Piers's face behind the glass as I was propelled to safety and he was left to drown; to the faces of each of the men I'd lost in Edonia. Pryce looked irritated by my interruption but smiled nonetheless and offered me a seat.

"How are you, Chris?" Jill's smile was genuine but something seemed to be bothering her. I was glad to see she had returned to her natural dark hair and I suppressed a chuckle, remembering her reaction when she realised that blonde had been one of Wesker's 'improvements'.

"Surviving," I answer in signature BSAA style.

Jill nodded a greeting to Sheva who still stood in the door frame then bade goodbye to Pryce to 'allow' him to get on with his duties and informing him that she would be back later. On her way out, she stopped at my side and put a hand on my shoulder, conveying her gratefulness that I had taken the job.

"I'll wait outside," Sheva announced, closing the door after Jill.

"So what have you got for me, then, Pryce?" I said, finally taking the seat at the table I'd been offered and was joined immediately by the director who took the place opposite mine. He lifted the jug of water and poured himself a glass then offered me one which I declined wanting to cut to the chase.

"I'll spare you the ins and outs," he started.

"No you won't," I interjected. "You'll tell me everything I need to know."

"Glad to see you're still on the ball after your – ahem – recent stint."

"Any human would have been the same after losing an entire squad!" I grunted, rising to my feet without thinking.

"Of course, Chris," Pryce apologised, straightening his tie, "I'm sorry. Might we continue?"

He gestured towards the screen to my left which was hosting the projection of a large warehouse-like structure nearby a coast. It looked familiar but I couldn't place where I'd seen it before.

"This building is a former BSAA bio-organic storage facility. It's no longer in operation due to our procurement of the Stantford Galleries. Recently, however, we've noticed power flow to the building which we didn't authorise. We suspect that one Abrafo Kangwena may be using the equipment to adapt the c-virus to the vaccine we have just completed. We cannot allow this to happen and any data must be destroyed at all costs."

"So you want us to go in and clear the place?" I questioned, it all seemed a little too easy. "And what was with the separate briefings?"

"You mustn't get the wrong idea, Chris," Pryce looked nervous. "It was more for your benefit. We need to bring Kangwena in for questioning and..."

"Sheva wants him dead," I finished for him bluntly.

"I see your intuition hasn't suffered."

"Not when it concerns my friends."

"Good luck, Chris."

I got up without a word and left. I'd never liked Pryce since the day he was appointed the new director in fact, it was safe to say I actively disliked him there was just something off with his British-ness. I caught up with Sheva who had waited patiently against the wall outside, looking fairly relaxed about the entire arrangement.

"Sounds like we'll be done by nightfall," I said with a laugh.

"And you may not even need to punch any boulders," Sheva smiled sarcastically, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, the situation with Wesker was desperate. And, anyway, it worked, didn't it?"

"Come on partner," Sheva tapped me on the shoulder. "Let's move out."

Piers Nivans

_I'm floating. The world around me is black – I can't see. Where there was once pain, my body feels numb and the freezing cold of the water that clings to my memory is now warm, like I'm sitting in front of a lit fireplace. I had been terrified but there's no fear now. I'm even beginning to see the humour in the irony – to save the world from monsters; I had to turn myself into one. Not only that – it gets better – I have to keep myself away from anyone I could harm and, anyway, it was much nicer to die with my humanity intact, at least, I THINK I'm dead..._

_I see a light moving in the darkness and, for the first time, I feel my body. Thump, thump, thump, thump, my heart is beating, was it beating this whole time? The light comes closer, I see a figure behind it: a big bulbous head-shape on top of an equally large body – like an astronaut. A smile? I forgot I could do that. The light illuminates my surroundings which are not pretty. The figure is moving towards me it's close enough that I can see my body again, my neck is stiff but I force it to move as I examine myself. Still hideously deformed and, somehow, I'm still in the underwater facility and I'm not drowning. The water feels cold against my skin again._

I'm brought back to reality; awoken from the memory of the underwater facility and I don't know where I am or where I've been. Am I alive? If this is heaven, I feel cheated. I'm encased in water still, but it's clean, warm and I can feel tubes in my nose and there's a mask over my mouth and I'm _breathing_. There are wires over my skin and I can feel my heart pounding and I start to struggle.

"_Ssh,"_ a familiar voice whispers from nowhere and I can see a pairof shoes on the other side of my glass prison. _"Sleep. You've earned it."_

I feel a sharp pain as a needle is thrust into my arm from the side of the container...my _arm. _ My vision blurs and goes black and I can't see if the damage is still there or if the whole experience was just a dream..._dreaming, dreaming, dreaming._

"_Piers, did I ever tell you that uniform looks real sharp on you."_

"_Thanks, Captain."_


End file.
